Daejeon pub for salt-grilled hagfish and cold milmyeon: Jinppaei

Went to Bongmyeong-dong in Daejeon for the first time in a while for some hagfish and soju haha

This time I visited Jinppaei in Bongmyeong-dong! I found it while looking for a bar in the area, and the vibe here was a bit different from a typical restaurant — it felt just right for drinks. What I really liked was that they take live hagfish straight from the tank, prepare it, and grill it over charcoal.

Jinppaei

We ordered the salt-grilled live hagfish that day.

Live hagfish cleaned to order from Jinppaei's tank

What impressed me most about Jinppaei was the whole process of waiting for the order.

They don't just bring out hagfish that's already been prepped — there's actually live hagfish swimming in a tank. Once we ordered, they pulled it straight out, prepared it, and grilled it right in front of us.

Since it's prepared and cooked while still alive, watching the process was fun and it definitely felt fresh. If you're a hagfish lover, this whole process alone is pretty entertaining haha

Personally, I think there's a big texture difference between frozen and live hagfish, and here, since it's prepared straight from live, the springy, chewy texture really came through.

How does the charcoal salt-grilled hagfish taste?

Hagfish really tastes best grilled over charcoal! The subtle smoky flavor combined with the chewy texture of the hagfish itself made it a perfect match for soju. Take a bite and you first feel the chewiness, then a savory flavor rises as you keep chewing.

Since it was salt-grilled rather than seasoned, I could really taste the hagfish itself without it being masked by sauce, which I liked. We kept saying 'this is really great with drinks' and kept eating more haha. Jinppaei also sells conger eel and grilled shellfish alongside the hagfish.

They say they prepare the live hagfish, conger eel, and shellfish themselves, trying to recreate the flavors they enjoyed in Busan. Maybe that's why the atmosphere has that slight old-school pub feel, which made it comfortable to drink with friends.

It's fine to visit as a first stop for a meal, or as a second or third stop just for drinks. If you're tired of ordering the same things at bars in Bongmyeong-dong, trying something like live hagfish might be a good change.

Jinppaei's cold milmyeon and its medicinal-herb broth

We also ordered cold milmyeon (wheat noodles). It felt like a waste to only eat hagfish, so we added a bowl. But this milmyeon was a bit different from the kind I usually eat. The first bite had me thinking 'huh? what is this?' — the broth had a scent like medicinal herbs.

It felt unfamiliar at first, but apparently this is the original-style milmyeon that Jinppaei serves. It tastes quite different from the milmyeon you commonly find these days, which I actually found interesting. That medicinal-herb-like scent might not be for everyone. If you order expecting the usual milmyeon flavor you might be a little thrown off, but if you want to try something different, it's worth a taste.

After grilling hagfish over charcoal and finishing with the cold milmyeon to cleanse the palate, the meal wrapped up nicely. Jinppaei isn't just a place that sells hagfish — it's a place where the fun comes from preparing live ingredients yourself and grilling them right in front of you.

In particular, the salt-grilled live hagfish, taken straight from the tank, definitely felt fresh, and cooking it over charcoal added that smoky flavor that made it delicious. If you like that distinctive chewy texture of hagfish, it's worth a visit at least once.

Who is Jinppaei best for?

Personally, I liked that eating it salt-grilled let me taste the hagfish's flavor more clearly. Above all, it's the kind of dish that goes down easy with drinks, so I'd especially recommend it to anyone looking for a bar in Bongmyeong-dong haha

It's great for catching up with friends over drinks after a while, good for couples looking for something different to eat, and fun for anyone visiting Daejeon looking for a slightly special old-school-style restaurant.

That day we had the salt-grilled live hagfish along with the cold milmyeon — the hagfish was really delicious, and the milmyeon stuck in my memory because of the unexpected medicinal-herb scent haha. Next time I'd like to try the conger eel or grilled shellfish.

If you're looking for a place in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon to enjoy fresh live hagfish grilled directly over charcoal with a glass of soju, give Jinppaei a try :) If you love hagfish like I do, I think you'll enjoy it!